St. Mary’s County History Day Highlights the Brilliant Minds of our Students
On Saturday, April 18th, 2026, students from across St. Mary’s County joined us at the Leonardtown Public Library to present the history projects they been working on for weeks to months. These projects were not required for any of their classes, and yet these students put in hours of personal time to complete them for St. Mary’s County History Day.
This year’s theme, Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History, may seem straight forward, but the topics these students brought to the table were creative, varied, and insightful. From revolutions in women’s sports to Athenian politics, these students gave us a fascinating look into the moments in history that sparked their interest enough to show up on a Saturday and be judged.
One student, Cheyenne Coleman, wowed us with a 2,500 word paper titled The American Reform of Menstrual Product Advertisements: 1918-2026. Her paper examines early stigma surrounding menstruation and menstrual products, and how advertisements have evolved over the past 108 years, reacting to three waves of feminism throughout the decades, to become the more realistic and transparent ads of today.
Cheyenne took home the 1st Place award in the papers category, as well as a special Historic Sotterley award. The judges felt that Cheyenne’s topic echoed the ethos of former Sotterley owner Dr. Mabel Satterlee Ingalls, a renowned doctor in bacteriology who spent much of her free time and retirement advocating for improving women’s healthcare, which made Cheyenne the perfect candidate for this award.
Cheyenne graciously provided us a copy of her paper to share with you below. We are beyond excited to see her and other young minds engaging with history and developing critical research and analytical skills, and we’re positive that their future endeavors will be even more impressive.
The American Reform of Menstrual Product Advertisements: 1918-2026
Cheyenne Coleman
Introduction
Americans see advertisements every hour of the day, from the sponsor of morning news, to new high-tech phones on billboards. Almost everything is advertised so you can see the entirety of the product and benefits it will bring to your life (Pollay). Businesses have learned the most effective rhetorical devices to use in advertisements to evoke the greatest audience response (Feng). However, in the last century, it seems menstrual products are one of the only things advertised with rhetoric designed to keep the product discreet.
Although half of the world’s population experiences menstruation at some point throughout their life, it has maintained a drastic taboo. With help from both the Feminist and Women’s Rights Movement, the thought of menstrual taboo has shifted drastically. These movements directly correlated with how brands used rhetoric, purposeful actions that persuade an audience, to appeal to social standards at the time through the perception of menstruation in media (Connory). From 1918 to the present day, rhetorical shifts in menstrual product advertising – from euphemistic silence to direct language – both reflected and shaped the reform of menstrual taboo in the United States, effectively transforming menstruation from a stigmatized issue into a public conversation.
Historical Context
As of the early twentieth century, American culture placed an emphasis on modesty in social behavior. Menstruation was referenced as a private, even shameful, subject which was rarely discussed outside of maternal relationships or scientific community (McHugh). This perceived silence was inflicted with the boom of mass advertising, as brands had to find new ways to market menstrual products to their female audience (Museum of Menstruation). Early menstrual product brands had to develop strategies to appeal to their audience while corresponding with strict social norms that discouraged menstrual talk in general.
During the same time, the American Women’s Rights Movement was completing its first wave, focused on suffrage and property rights, and ended around 1920 when the 19th amendment was passed (Alexander). The Women’s Rights Movement was a division of the Feminist Movement, which was focused on general social equality and fighting the patriarchy of society rather than solely the rights and liberties given to women. This movement has continued to the present day, where it has made a large impact in the perception of menstruation and the stigmatized communication surrounding it. Advertising responded to and influenced the Feminist Movement, making it an important lens to examine the reform of menstrual taboo in the United States.
1918-1933:
The early stage of menstrual product advertisement rhetoric conveyed the severity of menstrual taboo in the era, revealing strict societal norms for women focused on refinement. The Ladies’ Home Journal, a popular magazine in the 20th century, was a core publisher of early sanitary pad advertisements as they already had an established and loyal audience. The placement of advertisements in this journal was a breakthrough, however, it also revealed the first stage of stigma used in advertising, the audience. The audience of the magazine was middle to upper class women,
reflecting the effort to conceal menstruation from the male gaze. Attempting to remove the intricacies of menstruating from men highlights the extremity of societal suffocation in the media.
As seen in Figure 1, the advertisements of pads were focused on discretion, even refusing to use the words “menstruation” or “period”. Instead, focussing on euphemisms like “sanitary habits”, and themes of cleanliness or comfort rather than the actual experience. More notably, the advertisement itself fails to display the product in discussion, further showing the severity of stigma around menstruating. These choices illustrate the extent to which open discussion about menstruation was considered accepted socially.
Although the 1920s were seen as a peak time in cultural advancement, it ended abruptly with the 1929 stock market crash, leading to the Great Depression (Library of Congress). The US economy saw the steepest crash from 1929-1933, where all aspects of life were crumbling as well. This did not promote the decline of menstrual taboo – the opposite occurred instead, with social pushbacks in many of life’s intricacies (Marx). In turn, instead of fighting taboo, this era of advertisements normalized it by using recurring themes of secrecy, using the lack of positive feminine social reform during the Great Depression as justification.
1934-1956:
In the late 1930s, the Great Depression was coming to a gentle end, although it would be until the 40s that the US would fully recover (Library of Congress). And almost as soon as the economy was repaired, the US joined World War II. The war effort paused major social movements, but encouraged women to aid through the workplace, taking what used to be male dominated jobs. From this, Rosie the Riveter became an icon for millions of women taking over blue collar jobs in this period of time (Leeper).
In 1934, Tampax held the title of the first mass produced tampon, an inserted alternative to menstrual pads. As seen in Figure 2, tampons were advertised as a safe alternative thatallowed for freedom of clothing and hobbies while menstruating. Having “nothing to show” appealed to social standards of the time, keeping menstruating to oneself. While being “tested by doctors” and “endorsed by gynecologists” was found to be safer by those who were scared of insertion. While Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS) was not identified for another 30 years, the thought of a safer and more comfortable sanitary method was appealing to most women when considering the rough texture of previous pads.
Comparatively, in this era of advertising, menstruation was highlighted as a problem that could be managed. Alike to rhetoric in Figure 2, brands used text placement to convey a central idea – with a common theme of bodily freedom. The young girl in this advertisement states she is “never out of action”. This appealed to this era specifically because of the rise of women in the workforce, demanding more physical freedom. Menstrual product brands used the fact women were joining the workforce, needing greater range of motion, as a selling point for tampons.
While there wasn’t an obvious advancement in how menstruation was conveyed, the collaborative hardships of women conveyed a decrease in communicative taboo. Through the shared experiences in the workforce during World War II, the thought of menstruation transitioned from an unstoppable monthly issue into an event that was manageable to an extent of enjoyment.
1957-1972:
In the early 1960s, the second wave of the Feminist Movement emerged, focusing on a reform of what feminism should be in this new age. Through the time of the Civil Rights Movement and post-war, this wave targeted equality in the workplace and being blind to race while upholding the rights of women (Blair). New menstrual technology was being produced as well, with the first birth control pill available in 1960. This sparked controversy regarding ethics and a woman’s right to her bodily choices, which are still debated today (McCammon). Tassaway, a menstrual cup brand which began producing in 1963, was one of the most well known brands of its time. However, they went bankrupt in 1973 after being over 1 million dollars in debt due to their advertising ambitions. As seen in Figure 3, an advertisement for Tassaway menstrual cups used in the 60s, there was improved visibility to menstrual products and the choices of how to talk about them. Firstly, the product being advertised is clearly shown to the audience. While this may not hold any specific appeals, it boosted legitimacy for the product itself with translucency of this new product and its facets. Also seen in Figure 3, “menstrual” is used multiple times, in contrast to no direct wording used in previous eras. This was a large step in fighting against menstrual taboo, as the indirect language utilized previously was used as a shortcut to this new and direct wording.
The tone created by these rhetorical devices is no longer negative, or something to hide. Instead, brands decided to portray menstruation as something attached to daily life, rather than something to conceal. Second wave feminism begged the question: if women must live with menstruating, then why should it be something to be ashamed of? Visual changes, incorporating the product, begin to develop with this idea, promoting a free space to share what new products look like and how they could change one’s current lifestyle. This, along with the change in dialogue, corresponds with the ideology of women at the time, working as a strong appeal to brands using similar rhetoric.
This era pushed menstrual stigma, allowing women to feel more comfortable with menstruation. The decline of menstrual taboo was parallel with strong developments in menstrual technology and feminist ideology. This era ended finally when, in 1972, the US lifted bans regarding menstrual ads on television, allowing brands to reach more people in an abundantly more visible form of media.
1973-1996:
In the late 1970s through the 80s, the Feminist Movement continued in its second wave, promoting reproductive rights for all. The Women’s Health Movement (WHM) was also making strong advancements in the clinical world, from promoting Roe v. Wade to ensuring women were included in all NIH clinical trials (Nichols). Along with organizations, feminist activists were focused on promoting access to reproductive healthcare, sex education, and open discussion about female health as a whole (Blais). However, even though social movements began to advance rapidly, the media was slow to convey the progressiveness of the era.
Through television advertisements, brands unlocked new rhetoric of which they could appeal to audiences; like audio, vocal, or visual choices. In 1985, young Courteney Cox was the first to say “period” on TV, sparking controversy in the world of video media. Through physical media, similar advancements in word choice were also introduced. Figure 4 shows an advertisement, which was placed in many magazines at the time, by Tampax in 1990. The obvious rhetoric being utilized is text placement, to enunciate a point to the audience. The text “we won’t laugh at questions like that” translates into the well-known saying “there are no dumb questions”. This directly appeals to a majority of women and teen girls of the era, as reproductive education and discussion was still being developed to the state it is in today. While effectively educating the reader of this advertisement, Tampax still manages to advertise their product and connect the brand with a positive environment of education. It can be seen that rather than focusing on avoidance, brands engaged the audience with concerns that had been undertaught elsewhere.
However, while this advertisement challenges myths of women’s health, it also reinforces the priority of virginity as a value by treating it as a primary concern for women who were scared of tampons. This embedded message suggests menstrual and sexual taboo for women remained dominant in the social realm. This reveals the way advertisements both upheld and challenged existing social norms in the US.
Overall, this era acted as a large step in the social realm of menstrual taboo, with advertisements attempting to catch up. Even with large feminist progress, brands continued to perpetuate menstrual and sexual taboo to their audience. With large social reaction from social movements in this time, it became clear another leap of reform would soon occur in the next era of menstrual taboo.
1997-2026:
As the 21st century began, the third wave of feminism – focused on sexual liberation – was coming to an end, and the fourth was to start in the 2010s and continue until today (Earl and Kimport). The fourth wave is focused toward digital activism, introducing hashtags to connect with others over shared experiences online (Earl and Kimport). The hashtag “#likeagirl” is a perfect example of modern feminism, as it highlights how doing something “like a girl” means to do it while feeling feminine and empowered.
Advertisements in this era are mostly digital, as physical media has slowly been halted by the uprise of the internet. Along with this, a large appeal to brands while developing advertisements is to make something controversial, to catch as much attention as possible worldwide. Therefore, many brands choose to go fairly progressive in advertising.
The video advertisement “Never just a period” by Bodyform is an example of a statement piece. This video shuffles through perspectives of menstruation from many varying ages and cultures, from menarche to menopause. Bodyform uses visual rhetoric to develop sincerity within the audience for many experiences one can have with menstruation. The visual rhetoric used – like “blood” dripping into a toilet and animated jelly on a woman’s underwear – sparked controversy regarding ethics behind broadcasting blood-like substances on television. However, this brand and many others persisted, maintaining their dominating position in period product production.
Through videos like such, the advertisement industry finally caught up with the Feminist Movement progress. Women in the modern day have the ability to see menstruation through media realistically, inviting a perceived decrease in taboo and stigma regarding menstruating. Effectively, advertisements in this era worked along with progressiveness of social movements to demonstrate a large step in the right direction regarding this same menstrual taboo in the US.
Synthesis
Using the aforementioned eras of menstrual product advertising and historical events, there appears a clear positive trend in rhetorical devices when referencing menstruation. Menstrual product brands, like Tampax and Kotex, effectively have worked along with feminist movements in effort of normalizing menstruation in the US by using credibility, word choice, and visual rhetoric.
Changes in rhetorical devices overtime have displayed steps in the reform of menstrual taboo. Brands using gynecologist confirmation have invited a discussion on safety of certain products, fighting myths of stigma and fright of new products. Similarly, transitioning from no reference of menstruating, to directly stating “period” in advertisements has strengthened and fostered an open environment of communication. Finally, having little to no visual relevance to the topic in the past to openly displaying “blood” and uteruses now invites visibility to the reality of menstruation. Advancements in positive rhetorical devices have contributed to the effort of menstrual normalization.
Rhetorical devices, and advertisements as a whole, contribute to the progress because they have the ability to broadcast and display to a targeted audience. This targeted strategy supports trust in a brand, ultimately leading to higher consumer stamina (Goldie). Overtime, the appeal to the audience is specifically highlighted to provide understanding to the type of audience brands chose to appeal to. This reveals a trend, following the strength of menstrual taboo in the time period, often corresponding to social movements and waves of the Feminist Movement. This correlation supports the argument that advertisements worked alongside inherently feminine movements to reform the idea of menstrual taboo and in turn, effectively appeal to their audience.
Throughout the last century, it has been shown advertisements act as a perceived stepping stone in how feminist movements have altered the idea of menstrual taboo. Ultimately, this proves from 1918 to present day, advertisements have had a major impact on the reform of menstrual stigma and taboo, effectively working alongside the Feminist and Women’s Rights
Movement to provide a safer space to discuss menstruation in the United States today.
Annotated Bibliography
Primary Sources
Bodyform. “Bodyform | Never Just a Period.” YouTube, 31 July 2024, www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpFYcj2sJ3A..
This is a video picturing women of many ages and backgrounds during their period, highlighting the different experiences they all have. The brand, Bodyform, uses imagery while depicting different vaginal excretions, the uterus, and similarities of women for many years. This acts as an excellent resemblance of the most recent era because of the progress made and the relation to the current social stigma.
Cellucotton Products. “Kotex sanitary pad advertisement”. Ladies’ Home Journal, 1922.
This advertisement is noted as one of the first to appear in a public magazine. Cellucotton, now Kotex, was the first brand to mass produce pads, marking an important point in menstrual technology. This advertisement is used to resemble the first era, 1918-1933, as it was one of the most iconic of its time.
Tampax. “‘Thanks to Tampax, I’m Never out of Action!’” The American Women’s Weekly, 1939.
This is an advertisement posted by Tampax, portraying a woman with a ball having a good time. In this time period, Tampax was one of the first tampon companies to produce globally, reaching a new step in menstrual technology. This is used for its era because tampons weren’t a popular choice for menstrual protection among women yet, offering a new perspective in how menstruation was perceived.
Tampax. “‘Yes, You’ll Still Be a Virgin.’” Many Magazines, 1990.
This advertisement uses word placement to highlight the importance of no dumb questions regarding one’s personal health and menstruating. Tampax uses the chance to answer a bold question, allowing the audience to gain a sense of familiarity with the brand. This is used as a resemblance of the fourth era in this paper because it accurately conveys social ideas of the time.
Tassaway. “‘Better than Napkins, Better than Tampons.’” Many Containers, 1960.
This advertisement was for one of the first mass produced menstrual cups in the US. It depicts a photo of a menstrual cup and its packaging, introducing new rhetoric into the game of menstrual advertising and making it a good resemblance of its era.
Secondary Sources
Alexander, Kerri Lee. “Feminism: The First Wave.” National Women’s History Museum, 5 Apr. 2021, www.womenshistory.org/exhibits/feminism-first-wave-0.
This is an online exhibit from the Women’s History Museum that discusses the first wave of feminism. This is used to define the first wave and the era it encompassed.
Blair, Melissa Estes. “‘A Dynamic Force in Our Community’: Women’s Clubs and Second-Wave Feminism at the Grassroots.” Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies, vol. 30, no. 3, 2009, pp. 30–51. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40388746.
This journal article brings into discussion how women’s clubs contributed to second wave feminism. This is used in my paper to bring understanding in how the second wave of the Feminist Movement impacted women in many different fashions.
Connory, Jane. “Designing Period Shame: Period Product Advertising in Australian Women’s Magazines.” Design Issues, vol. 40, no. 3, 2024, pp. 62–76, https://doi.org/10.1162/desi_a_00767.
This paper highlights the last hundred years of stereotypical language in Australian menstrual product advertisements, and the negative consequences of doing such. However, it highlights the similarities that advertisements had to the idea of what menstruation “meant” to a woman at the time. In the paper, this is used to perpetuate the idea that outside movements have an effect in how brands choose to advertise their products..
Blais, Mélissa. “Fearful or Fearless? The Impact of Fear on Feminist Activism.” Social Movement Studies, vol. 24, no. 1, Jan. 2025, pp. 113–29. EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.1080/14742837.2023.2175655.
This paper describes both a slight overview of the waves in the Feminist Movement and how fear impacts the progressiveness oof the wave. This is used in the paper to demonstrate the differences of focus points in each era and the implications of those differences.
Earl, Jennifer, and Katrina Kimport. Digitally Enabled Social Change: Activism in the Internet
Age. The MIT Press, 2011. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt5hhcb9.
This source discusses digital activism and its impacts on our society. This is used in the paper to describe the introduction of digital activism in the most recent generation.
Feng, Guangchao Charles, et al. “Effects of Rhetorical Devices on Audience Responses with Online Videos: An Augmented Elaboration Likelihood Model.” PLOS ONE, vol. 18, no. 3, Mar. 2023, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0282663.
This study examines the extent that rhetorical devices elicit responses from viewers of an advertisement. The research came to the conclusion that audience response is dependent on both the rhetoric used and the involvement of the reader. This is significant to this paper as it sets the basis of how different rhetoric in advertisements influence an individual response.
Goldie, Hayko. Effects of Advertising on Society: A Literary Review. 2010, hilo.hawaii.edu/campuscenter/hohonu/volumes/documents/Vol08x16EffectsofAdvertisin gonSociety.pdf.
This literature review acts as an excellent secondary source when referencing the effects of advertisements to an audience. It highlights the extent to which an audience is influenced by what they view in media. This is used in the paper to provide strength to how rhetorical devices effectively appeal to a specific audience.
Jackson, Sarah J., et al. “#HashtagActivism: Networks of Race and Gender Justice.” Direct.mit.edu, Mar. 2020, https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/10858.001.0001.
This source introduces the idea of hashtag activism, used in social media, and its impacts on activism as a whole. The study discusses the differences of activism depending on the movement as a whole as well, highlighting the weakness of Twitter as an area to promote ideas. This paper can be used to introduce digital activism in the new age and how it relates to the development in the fourth wave of the feminist movement.
Leeper, Angela. “Rosie the Riveter: The Legacy of an American Icon.” Booklist, vol. 118, no. 5/6, Nov. 2021, pp. 52–53. EBSCOhost, research.ebsco.com/linkprocessor/plink?id=9f661c48-09c1-3c6a-9b58-d0f8db9418a3.
This paper discusses the impact that Rosie the Riveter had on American women in the workforce and how she was seen as an icon of feminism during the war. This is used in the paper as an example of feminist checkpoints during the war and the effort of women in the workforce.
Library of Congress. “Overview | Great Depression and World War II, 1929-1945 | U.S. History Primary Source Timeline | Classroom Materials at the Library of Congress | Library of Congress.” Library of Congress, Library of Congress, 2022, www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/united-states-history-primary-source-timeline/great-de pression-and-world-war-ii-1929-1945/overview/.
This source shows a timeline of major events and trends during the Great Depression era. In the paper, this source is used to describe the trend of recovery as the Great Depression was coming to an end.
Marx, Jerry. “Great Depression: American Social Policy.” Social Welfare History Project, Virginia Commonwealth University, 26 Feb. 2018, socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/eras/great-depression/american-social-policy-in-the-great-d epression-and-wwii/.
This paper reviews the great depression and the major events and social changes that occurred. This is used as a basic overview of the Great Depression in this paper, contributing to the idea that it had a large influence on the Feminist Movement.
McCammon, Sarah. “How the Approval of the Birth Control Pill 60 Years Ago Helped Change Lives.” NPR, 9 May 2020, www.npr.org/2020/05/09/852807455/how-the-approval-of-the-birth-control-pill-60-years -ago-helped-change-lives.
This article includes an analysis of an interview by a woman who grew up while birth control pills were becoming popular. The author, McCammon, studied at Oxford, now is a journalist that fights for reproductive rights through her writing. This interview analysis contributes to the third era, when discussing the uprising of birth control and its effects on society.
McHugh, Maureen C. “Menstrual Shame: Exploring the Role of ‘Menstrual Moaning.’” PubMed, Palgrave Macmillan, 25 July 2020, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK565666/.
This article highlights the role of how we discuss menstruation with others and its influence on how we perceive them. Specifically, it discusses how interpersonal relationships can either perpetuate or dismantle the way we see menstruation. This is used in the paper to buttress the idea of how menstruation is referenced in casual talk, as well as scientific talk.
Museum of Menstruation and Women’s Health, 2016, www.mum.org/.
This online museum highlights the large history of women’s health history. Effectively, it acts as a database of a large portion of menstrual advertisements and product history. This is used as a main source of inspiration and to support the idea of specific rhetoric used to appeal to women.
Nichols, Francine H. “History of the Women’s Health Movement in the 20th Century.” Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing, vol. 29, no. 1, Jan. 2000, pp. 56–64, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1552-6909.2000.tb02756.x.
The Women’s Health Movement was an important part of the feminist movement, as it eventually led to the addition of many clinical laws. It promoted women’s health rights for many years and acts as a prominent addition to the fourth era of this paper.
Pollay, Richard W. “The Distorted Mirror: Reflections on the Unintended Consequences of Advertising.” Journal of Marketing, vol. 50, no. 2, Apr. 1986, pp. 18–36, https://doi.org/10.1177/002224298605000202.
This article discusses the implications of advertising in one’s life, both considering the inherently negative and positive factors. This is used in the paper to introduce advertising as an influence in the sociocultural world.